Opzione e strategie operative nella gestione delle malerbe per la mitigazione del rischio di contaminazione delle acque superficiali ...

The importance of the quality of superficial waters is largely recognized by the public opinion and by EU legislative acts aimed at increasing the sustainability of water resources exploitation. The use of pesticides in agriculture may represent a source of contamination for superficial waters and other sensitive environmental compartments. Main processes involved are runoff and particle drift. The inclusion of untreated areas (no spray zones, buffer zones, etc.) between the field and the area to be protected from contamination is an efficient system to mitigate the effects of both runoff and drift. Several types of untreated areas may be adopted, each showing different characteristics, management, spatial requirements and mitigation degree. Results from several studies give the basis for a correct adoption of untreated areas and other mitigation measures and suggest the possibility to combine different mitigation measures together, in order to obtain a stronger effect. This information is crucial for a correct implementation of the most recent EU legislation, as in the case of the Directive on sustainable use of pesticides (Dir. 2009/128/CE).